San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is riding the World Cup wave, attending matches and promoting the city. As a diehard soccer fan, Lurie has been to five World Cups and gets up early on weekends to watch live English Premier League games.

World Cup in the City

The World Cup has brought a surge of excitement to San Francisco, with six games taking place in the Bay Area. Lurie has been attending fan zones and bars, mingling with fans and showing his support for the sport. He believes the World Cup can provide a lasting legacy for the city, bringing people together and promoting unity.

Lurie’s love for soccer goes beyond fandom. He is an investor in 49ers Enterprises, the commercial arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL team, which owns Scottish giants Rangers and Leeds United. He hopes Leeds can make it to the top six and qualify for European competition.

Mayor’s Background

Lurie was elected San Francisco mayor in 2024, campaigning as a hands-on technocrat and political outsider. He spent $10.5 million of his own wealth on his campaign and has been working to rescue the city’s declining downtown and fight the fentanyl epidemic and rampant homelessness.

Lurie has become a social media sensation, with videos of him attending farmers markets, officiating same-sex marriages, and handing out ice creams from a van. His Instagram account has been active during the World Cup, with posts of him watching matches and attending watch parties.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.